My mother-in-law made this…
Happy Thanksgiving, handmade card from Celia, Thanksgiving
2009, image © 2008 by Celia. All rights reserved.
…which made me think of this…
Hand Turkey, remembering how we used to draw turkeys when we were kids, image © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
…which kind of looks like this…(although not really)…
Gray Tom, one of tom turkeys counting his blessings before Thanksgiving, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
…and which looks nothing like this!
Black Tom, glad to be the clever turkey he is, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Will you be eating
one of these handsome guys
(well, not exactly one of them)
this Thanksgiving??
*The Bald Eagle is the symbol of the United States, yet one person believed that the Turkey would have been a more respectable bird to represent our nation.
Reflections On The Other National Bird*
November 26, 2008 by ybonesy
Nope. I can look at your turkeys without a bit of guilt, this year (although I’ll admit a bit wonderment in the case of Black Tom’s portrait). We’re having beef.
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Hey Sam, do you guys always do beef on T-day? I’m trying to remember if you’ve mentioned that before.
Yeah, Black Tom is a remarkable-looking guy. Male turkeys are strange-looking creatures when you get to see them up close.
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BTW, Black Tom is the turkey who can’t fly up into the trees or the roof, so he perches at night on a wall that comes up to about my chest. The wall is near the house, and so far no coyotes have taken him, although they’ve been out there. So his challenge is not to avoid becoming our T-day dinner (we long got over that) but rather to avoid becoming the coyotes’ dinner. 8)
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I will be eating one of these yes. I’ve got the biggest turkey ever 23lbs, to roast.
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Wow, 23 lbs, that is big!
I’ve only roasted a full turkey once—it’s been a while. I felt so adult-like. 8)
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ybonesy, I love the card your mother-in-law made. And your turkey hand is wonderful! This post makes me smile. 8) You wouldn’t believe it, but just last night, I was thinking about doing a mandala with my turkey hand plopped right in the center. I think it was the kid inside that wanted to do that. 8) I opted to complete another November one instead. So I’m so glad you posted this.
The photographs of Gray Tom and Black Tom are amazing. Turkeys are such strange birds, aren’t they? Though I’m glad the Eagle turned out to be our national bird, I can see how the Mr. Turkey would have been right up there. Amazing plumage display.
Liz has to work Friday so we’re laying low for Thanksgiving this year (my heart goes out to all who have to work over the T-Giving weekend). No turkey unless we change our minds when we hit the store tonight. We are thinking about making your Frito Pie instead. I’ll keep you posted.
Happy pre-Turkey day to you and yours and all of our readers out there. I started out the day feeling happy. We had on a radio station that played “I Can See Clearly Now” a song written and recorded by Johnny Nash in 1972. I was in high school. Do you remember it?
The song was revived again in 1993 when Jimmy Cliff recorded it for the soundtrack of the film Cool Runnings. It’s going to be a bright, bright, sunshiny day. Liz cranked it up and we were dancing around the house while making our lunches. You just can’t help but smile when you hear it.
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Yep, I remember that song. It’s a good one, especially when one’s mood fits the beat and the words. 8)
Hey, Frito Pie for Thanksgiving sounds good to me. Make sure and chop lots of toppings—I love raw onions, myself. Yum!
Yeah, as soon as I saw Celia’s turkey card, my mind popped to the hand-turkey drawings of yore. Celia is playful like a kid, and a real prankster. That’s where Jim gets his whimsy. Celia always makes us handmade cards. I love her style. It is very folk-artsy. I try to make her handmade cards, as well. I’ve not made as many as I used to, but maybe I’ll make her one for Thanksgiving.
BTW, what was really great about this card is that she made all the feathers be things that we love—bicycles for Jim, music for Em (who plays guitar), etc. Very sweet and thoughtful.
I have a file with all the cards she’s made over the years. I will try to remember to post others. She makes quilts and blankets with eyelet fabric, and then she has used that fabric to cut out sheep for Easter greeting cards as well. And she often makes her own tags for Christmas gifts using fabric. Very creative.
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p.s., I’m logged in from the car dealership, as we’re getting a maintenance on the car this morning. I brought my laptop on a whim, thinking I could get some work done and perhaps take off early for the day, and lo and behold, they have internet connectivity. 8)
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Ah, I wouldn’t have known that about the symbolism of the feathers in the card if you hadn’t told me. Very thoughtful. Sounds like your mother-in-law is a keeper. 8) I look forward to more of her cards in the future.
On the Frito Pie, we’ll have to see how it goes with the raw onions. I love the flavor but only eat them cooked. Liz loves raw onions but they don’t agree with her very well, so we’ll probably go light on the raw. Just a touch! Liz tells me stories of how her dad used to love to eat onions raw, like an apple. Whew!
Glad you have Internet at the car dealership. I’m glad there are dealerships that are still thriving. We just had a big one, Denny Hecker, close a bunch of his dealerships in the Twin Cities. It was related to the economy and hardship getting loans. About 400 people got laid off by him in the last week, unexpectedly. Hard times for some.
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For anyone else skipping the turkey this Thanksgiving, here’s a link to ybonesy’s Frito Pie. Black Tom and Gray Tom are especially appreciative. 8)
The Cult Of Frito Pie (LINK)
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Jim often tells the story of mountain-biking from Alaska to NM and meeting along the way many characters, including a Japanese cyclist who ate onions raw like apples. Wow.
We’re all raw onion lovers in our immediate family. My youngest especially—she loves raw onion. I hear that they don’t set well with certain people’s digestive systems, but I’ve never noticed that. I probably eat lots of things that don’t set well with my stomach, but I seem to never really notice or think back, hmmm, what did I eat that’s causing whatever it’s causing?
Speaking of car dealers, I think the big truck dealers (here in NM, there are a lot of ’em) are not doing as well as some of these smaller car dealers, although all are hurting from the lack of credit. But I did hear today that a big infusion of money is being put into the system exactly for that purpose, so that money can start flowing again.
I was just telling Jim, we might not get raises or bonuses this year at work, but you know what? I’m thankful to have a job.
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I will have turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, salad, green beans, scalloped oysters, and chocolate meal from my Thanksgiving meal tomorrow.
That Ben Franklin had a sense of humor. He wanted the turkey to be the national bird for some very good reasons as I remember. Imagine the emblem of the U.S. as a turkey instead of an eagle and adorning every federal building and presidential podium in Washington, D.C. That would seem appropriate at times.
The screaming eagle would be replaced by the screaming turkey. The back of the quarter would carry the image of the American Turkey. The turkey would be a part of every military symbol we have. What a wonderfully happy thought. A nation of turkeys. And to top it off, turkeys don’t fly. Gotta give it to Ben for the idea.
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Chocolate milk, not chocolate meal (although that give me an idea)…chocolate cornbread make with corn meal and chocolate milk. Yum!
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We had our turkey dinner this past Sunday. The boys were both here in addition to Scaramastra, Mom, & a family friend named Paul. It was a good dinner if I must say so myself. The company made it even better. J & I never have our turkey on Thansgiving day. One year it was crab legs, the next tacos & whatever we fancy. Tomorrow we will be eating my Dad’s famous chili recipe. He makes the best ever & gave me his recipe. I am forbidden to share the secret recipe with anyone else. A promise I had to make in order to get the recipe from him! Hope everyone has a great day! D
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The card is so wonderful. I love how the feathers are special. She and I would hit it right off being a kid and prankster. And if she has a dry sense of humor, she has all my favorite people qualities.
I only eat meat a couple times a year. Thanksgiving being one! My Sister is famous for her “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” pile of Mash potatoes. Last year the mountain was about 16 inches high! A thing to behold!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, all of you.
Many blessings to all those less fortunate or falling on hard times right now. They will be in my prayers.
Thanksgiving
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
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alittlediddy, you culinary tease! To mention a secret chili recipe and then say it is the best ever is so very cruel! 😉
Santa reads the articles and posts on red Ravine and somebody (you) have just been put at the top of his naughty, but nice list.
Everyone, including alittlediddy, may you all have a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving.
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We are doing turkey. Unfortunately, when Mr. Bo went to the grocery, he forget his reading glasses – I still really don’t get why, if you wear contacts, you still need reading glasses, but at 55, I’ve managed to never need glasses so I’m no expert – back to the story.
Mr. Bo went for a 20 pound bird, which sounds enormous to me, and came home with a bird he thought was a 20 pounder. Not when I read the label – this thing weighs 28 pounds. And I think we have to get it in the oven at maybe 3 in the morning for a 1 pm dinner. (Hmm, Mr. Bo’s job, not mine!)
I’ll be eating turkey til Christmas!
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That is one awesome Thanksgiving Day card. Now that’s the kind of thing that really makes you thankful. That’s how I’d like Christmas to be at our home this year. I thought it would be nivce if everyone wrote each other a thoughtful, or whatever, letter, and then we shared dinner.
Sorry to say, everyone looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I actually thought it was a really good idea, and everyone may still just get letters from me instead of presents. Aw, I’ll probably pick up a present for everyone, too. But I still like the letter idea. (Crazy ol’ biddy, I hear them whispering…)
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LOL. Some funny comments here. Bo, these are your kids who you’ve proposed the idea of letters instead of presents?
Also, a 28-lber? Wow, that’s like the size that Sarah Palin pardoned. 8) BTW, we once got one of those white turkey dinner turkeys, before we knew anything about live turkeys, and the bad news was that it would grow so big that the weight of its body would ultimately almost crush its feet. We didn’t realize it was the kind of turkey you raise exclusively to slaughter. The not-as-bad-as-it-otherwise-would-be news was that a hawk swooped in and ate the little turklet before it got huge.
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Bob, I laughed out loud when I read “chocolate meal.” I knew something must have been off on that sentence, yet it somehow made sense, like maybe it was this giant meal sort of topped off with chocolate. Ha! Chocolate milk. Hey, your dinner sounds yum-me.
diddy, OK, you must explain to your dad that the whole purpose of most excellent recipes is to share them so that others can after they make them swoon over the brilliance of the person who originated the recipe. Yah? Try it on him. 8)
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BTW, Bob, scalloped oysters? There has to be a story behind how scalloped oysters entered into your Thanksgiving Day dinner, yes?
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What a great post. Turkeys scare me, their heads freak me out…….but they do taste good. Happy thanksgiving.
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Heather, thank you for that. I just wrote my own Ralph Waldo Emerson-esque poem.
Also, your sister’s mountain-o-mash sounds like something I would like, as long as it’s topped with Mom’s red chile. Yum.
I’m bringing mashed potatoes (I call them “smashed potatoes”) to tomorrow’s dinner at my brother- and sister-in-laws’ house. I was thinking of roasting garlic to blend in with the potatoes.
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jo, turkeys scare me sometimes, too. They are so social and want to always be near people, but they’re also just so big and weird looking.
Have a good one.
Hey, Bob, little did Ben know that the bird’s name would take on a new meaning. And how did that happen? I mean, I can kind of see, as they often leave me scratching my head.
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ybonesy, had the turkey become the national symbol, national pride would not have permitted slurs like, “You turkey!” We would not have turkey on Thanksgiving because they would be protected from slaughter like sacred Hindu cows. Thanksgiving would be roasted pigs or geese. Turkeys would be spared the indignity of appearing on dinner tables where Americans feast tomorrow.
I ate at the Vietnamese buffet last Saturday. The owner stopped to talk with me about Thanksgiving. He was having “westerners” over for dinner and wanted to know how to cook a turkey. Why he thought I would know to cook anything considering how often I eat at his buffet, I don’t know. I suggested turkey bags and turkeys with the “pop up” thing that tells you when it’s done. He wrote those things down. I assured him that it was easy when you used a turkey bag.
I asked him if he was having mashed potatoes and gravy, the green bean casserole made with cream of mushroom soup and french-fried onions (aka freedom-fried onions) sprinkled on top, candied yams with tiny marshmallows melted on top, and hot rolls. “No, I am only making the turkey. That’s too much I do anyway.” So I hope his westerners bring vegetables and hot rolls or it may be turkey, bok choy, jasmine rice, and fish sauce…a cultural diverse Thanksgiving.
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Scalloped oysters entered my Thanksgiving via my Aunt Annie who always made the dish for Thanksgiving (and Christmas too, although I think of it as a T-day dish). I never liked oysters until I tasted this dish which is guaranteed to clog all of your major arteries.
You need 4 cans of oysters (whole and bits & pieces) drained and the juice set aside. You can always use five or six cans. You need probably two cans of evaporated milk (the kind that isn’t sweet…that’s condensed milk, right?) You need crackers…regular saltines will do and a big stick of Velveeta Cheese (Food…not real cheese. Some will even debate whether it is real food…don’t invite those people over).
In a buttered casserole dish, with a cover combine the ingredients as follows. Crush crackers to cover the bottom of the dish. Place a layer of oysters whole and b&p’s and top that with a layer of Velveeta Cheese (Food) slices. Pour a little of the oyster juice on it (to taste) and then pour enough of the canned milk to wet all of the ingredients. Repeat until you have four or five layers of everything. Make sure that you have enough milk to cover all of the layers EXCEPT the top layer of cheese. Place the covered casserole in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees. Cook for about half an hour and then remove the lid. You know it is done when the top layer of cheese turns a golden brown and form a thing plastic layer of cheese food over the top. Eat it while it’s hot. Leftovers are great for breakfast.
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Oh-ma-God, Bob, that scalloped oyster recipe is amazing! I love the ingredients…everything from my childhood, minus the oysters. My mom perhaps made the same thing but with Spam. (just kidding)
Love your description. Also, our families got their green bean casserole recipe from the same magazine. (Ladies Home Journal?, or the back of a can of French-cut green beans, perhaps?) Just this evening while shopping for ingredients to go into the things I’m taking tomorrow to the family gathering, I noticed a can of those French fried onions. One of my sisters almost always brings the green bean casserole and my niece the candied yam casserole with toasted marshmallow topping. Yum.
I love how you sent the Vietnamese restaurant owner off with instructions on cooking his turkey in a turkey bag and getting a pop-up “it’s done” thingo. Ha! Good thing you didn’t send him looking for free-ranged—those are sometimes tough—all that running around. 8)
BTW, do you cook your entire turkey dinner? If so, I am impressed!!
And ya, you’re right…we’d call one another “eagles”–“You eagle, you!”—had Ben had his way.
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Bob, God bless your Aunt Annie and her scalloped oysters for Thanksgiving. I just read your comment to Liz and she went, “OH, Velveeta cheese, why Velveeta cheese!” There is nothing that takes you back to the past like Velveeta cheese. Actually, I kind of like the taste. I guess it’s acquired. But I can’t remember the last time I had it. Let us know how the oysters turn out. I’ve never heard of that for Thanksgiving.
Heather, like the Emerson poem for Thanksgiving. Another hopeless romantic, he was. Happy Turkey Day.
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The scalloped oysters were fantastic. I have enough left for breakfast tomorrow morning. Nothing like oysters and re-heated Velveeta cheese in the morning.
Please tell Liz that all other cheeses are too greasy to use in this dish. Remember: Velveeta isn’t cheese. It’s cheese food.
Now outside to work in the yard. December 1 is the last yard waste collection day of the year and, boy, do I have some yard waste to collect.
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How could I have missed this post?? Wow, theses photos are wonderful, and the little sentences or phrases after each photo are hilariously delightful!! It’s like I’m reading a comic strip. I enjoyed this entry so much!!
Yeah, I remember that I read somewhere about Ben Franklin wanting the turkey as the national mascot. LOL, but say, does anyone know what his reasons are? I’m curious.
That hand turkey is so awesome! I remember doing a paper version of the turkey where you trace your hand on paper when I was a kid, but I had never done a hand turkey like that in the photo. Oh, and we once made turkeys out of pine cones! Those were fun times. 🙂
And yes, some of the comments here are hilarious.
I too am thankful for red Raviners here as it’s because of everyone who made this community wonderful. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!
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Bob, I remember you making something for breakfast out of leftovers on one of our Wisconsin writing retreats. What was it you made that morning?
Glad your scalloped oysters came out good. I told Liz about the difference between “real cheese” and “cheese food.” She has a hard time comprehending this because she comes from a long line of dairy farmers and used to work for her dad at his North Dakota creamery. You see the cheesy problem here. She’s got cheese issues. 8)
a~lotus, thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Hope things are looking up. And that you don’t have to study over the Thanksgiving weekend!
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ybonesy – I’d like to get a meaningful letter from each of my kids instead of a Christmas present. They object! I also tried the same idea for Mother’s Day, and I did get letters from 2 out of 3, but they still insisted on presents. They don’t believe me when I tell them I really love the letters best.
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A~Lotus, Ben Franklin’s comments about the turkey as a national symbol came from a letter to his daughter where he remarked how the eagle used as the national symbol looked more like a turkey. He then detailed his reasons that the North American Wild Turkey (not the domesticated turkeys we have today) should have been the national symbol. The bird was colorful. Huge numbers existed. It was unafraid to defend its land. It lived peaceably in flocks. Franklin saw the bald eagle as a bird of prey and not sociable. Lots of sights exist on the internet which will offer a better explanation.
He actually wanted the rattlesnake to be the national symbol.
I made a casserole from the leftover eggs, meat, and tomato sauce (and cheese).
Please ask Liz what kind of real cheese I could use in my scalloped oysters and I wil try a small batch. Nothing turns to cheese plastic better than Velveeta, I think. Liz could tell me different.
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QM, yb, & fellow redRavine friends, I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!
Bob, my Dad would love your scalloped oyster casserole! He is a big fan of both oysters & velveeta cheese. His chili recipe is a secrect because he intends to enter it into chili tasting contests. However, for you I will try to get him to agree to a deal. I will share your casserole dish with him only if he allows me to share his chili recipe with you. Of course he would require that I send it to you via QM. If I ever posted it here he would probably never speak to me again! Are you in? (BTW, it was awesome!) D
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Try Colby Longhorn, Bob. Is that real cheese? Sometimes it seems kind of plasticy to me. Oh, for a good cooking/melting cheese, Gruyere.
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Bob, I don’t think Liz would want you to change a thing about your Velveeta cheese. She’s just not partial to it. She teases me about getting the Velveeta-type cheese on my nachos at Taco Bell when we fast-food it sometimes. I think it’s just a taste thing.
diddy, I think your trade is a good deal. Hope Bob goes for it! Maybe he’ll then make the chile and the oysters when we head down there to write in April. 8)
Oh, Bob, great info about Ben Franklin and the turkey, eagle, rattlesnake. Didn’t the snake end up on one of the dollar bills? Hmmm. Trying to remember. Or was it the Don’t Tread On Me symbol? I’ll have to look into that more. Sketchy memories.
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WOW!! A Turkey is one ugly bugger, viewed close up! I had no idea!
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Jude, you must be talking about the Black Tom close-up. I’ve always wondered what all those wrinkles and folds of skin are for on turkeys. And that long, long snout. They have a head kind of like a vulture, but much more ornate. But boy, do they have the cool tail feathers. There’s a single feather poking out from behind in ybonesy’s other turkey heart photo post, Giving Thanks (LINK).
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[…] top of all that, we tried to make Frito Pie over Thanksgiving and, guess what, the pinto beans never got soft. We soaked them overnight, then boiled them over 7 […]
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[…] We’d like to thank Bob for providing this recipe and the story of the aunt who inspired it. And thank you, Aunt Annie! We’ve been dreaming about scalloped oysters since last Thanksgiving, when Bob made mention of the dish in a conversation in the post Reflections On The Other National Bird. […]
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[…] Reflections On The Other National Bird […]
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[…] -related to post: Reflections On The Other National Bird* […]
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[…] Reflections On The Other National Bird […]
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[…] Reflections On The Other National Bird […]
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